"Sentient programs. They can move in and out of any software still hardwired to the system. That means that anyone we haven't unplugged is potentially an Agent. Inside the Matrix, they are everyone...and no one."

―Morpheus ^[src]

Agents are programs whose primary function is to eliminate anything or anyone that could reveal the truth of the Matrix or cause harm to its virtual reality.

AbilitiesEdit

"I've seen an Agent punch through a concrete wall, men have emptied entire clips at them and hit nothing but air."

―Morpheus

Agents possess extraordinary powers to manipulate their surroundings (including superhuman strength and the ability to flawlessly dodge incoming bullets). However, Agents still have limitations, being "based in a world that is built on rules". Thus, they cannot fly (at least except Smith in the final fight against Neo), walk through walls, or perform any other actions outside the boundaries of their programming. They are programmed to keep order within the system by terminating troublesome programs and human avatars which would otherwise bring instability to the simulated reality.

Agents have the ability to take over the simulated body of any human that is a part of the Matrix, converting it into a copy of their own. If that body is killed, or an Agent needs to change its location quickly, it can assume the shell of any other human hard-wired to the Matrix in a matter of seconds. Agents also have the ability to communicate with each other instantaneously, represented via their earpieces (thus, when Agent Smith once removed his earpiece^[1], he briefly severed his link with the other Agents).

DescriptionEdit

Agents typically appear as caucasian males with brown hair, and dress formally to greatly resemble (and appear to possess governmental authority similar to) Secret Service, FBI, NSA, or MiB government officials with dark green suits, dark green ties, communication earpieces, black sunglasses, white dress shirts and ordinary (if somewhat out of place) appearance. In contrast, when Smith was destroyed and became a virus, his sunglasses changed slightly in shape and his outfit is now black instead of dark green.

Agents may appear to be human, but collectively lack a substantive personality. Agents normally work in a trio, where one agent has a more defined personality for discussions or interrogations of bluepills.

Agents are endowed with incredible agility, strength, speed, damage resistance (it is implied that they can feel pain, but it appears to be more of an annoyance than a hindrance), and the ability to possess other bluepills connected directly to the system (agents cannot possess redpills as they are not hardwired to their system). The ability to possess anyone connected directly to the Matrix power plant makes any human living in the Matrix a potential Agent of the system. As such, Zion operatives working within the Matrix could encounter an agent at any time. The Agents seem to be able to possess bluepills directly after they have spotted a potential target or person of interest, although the exact functions and limitations of this ability are ambiguous at best. An example of this ability is when a homeless man spotted Morpheus exit the Matrix through a public telephone, alerting Agent Smith to their whereabouts.

Should a Zion operative be discovered by an agent, their only option is to flee. Morpheus explicitly states to Neo that literally everyone who has stood their ground against an Agent has died. Agents are endowed with superhuman agility, allowing them to avoid bullets (except for point-blank shots or weapons with extremely high rates of fire) and easily outpace the average redpill in hand-to-hand combat. An Agent's programming grants them similar abilities to bend or break to laws of physics to trained redpills, albeit to a much greater degree. Should a redpill be fortunate enough to defeat an Agent, their victory would be short lived as they would simply possess another body or call upon their comrades. Agents are relentless, and nigh invincible, giving them a fearsome reputation.

Compared to redpills, Agents appear to rely less on martial arts skills and more on their superior agility and reaction times. They tend to favour more conventional punches and kicks, but also display an extensive list of acrobatic skills and fighting moves when necessary. They tend to utilise their superior speed and strength to overpower and outpace their enemies in combat.

Agents are typically armed with the Desert Eagle chambered in .50 AE (.50 caliber Action Express) as their primary sidearm. They take incredibly accurate shots, demonstrated when Agent Smith was able to track and shoot Morpheus in the leg through a wall. Their sidearm is carried over when an Agent possesses a new body just as their clothing and general appearance is, and is similarly replicated for each Smith clone.

Agents are also tasked with the elimination of Exiles, rogue programs who have outlived their purpose within the Matrix, but refused to return to the Source. The Keymaker and Seraph are notable exiles targeted by Agents (although, for reasons not explained in the films, they do not seem to fight the Marovingian's lackeys).

HistoryEdit

There are two classes of agents. Neo first saw agents Brown, Jones, and Smith. Of these, Smith has a more defined personality and expresses hatred and contempt of humanity and of his work within the Matrix. He later becomes a virulent rogue agent, disconnected from the system. He psychotically chooses as his purpose the destruction of the Matrix and especially Neo.

After Neo's transfiguration into The One, the Matrix retrieves agents Brown and Jones and deploys the upgraded agents Jackson, Johnson, and Thompson. The One's special abilities make defeating any agent, upgraded or not, practically effortless in comparison to any redpill that attempts to do so.

After the Matrix rebooted, newer forms of Agents came into existence, including the Red-Eye Agents. Another agent that was introduced into the Matrix was Agent Pace, the first and only female agent. Their task changed to securing that the humans would keep their part of the Truce. While they may not be the omnipresent danger for any Free-mind they once were, their lethality remains unbroken.

Appearance and DesignEdit

The look and manner of Smith and his fellow Agents seem to be drawn from the common pool of paranoia and American pop culture. One influence appears to be the popular image of the Men in Black agents from the 1997 film, Men in Black, and its two-sequels, as well as the black suit and tie getup from the 1992 film, Reservoir Dogs, the 1994 film, Pulp Fiction, the 1980 comedy film, The Blues Brothers along with its sequel, and federal law enforcement agents as ruthlessly efficient automata who carry out their duties with cold precision and General American Accent.

Agents wear dark, square, frameless sunglasses with corners or smooth angles, and wear dark green suits and dark green ties with a communication earpiece on the left ear, along with a tie clip, and a white dress shirt.

All Agents are Caucasian males (with a minor exception of African American Agent Perry and female Agent Pace), which also provides a dynamic compared to the majority population of Zion, containing many diverse cultures and walks of life. Apart from Agents Smith and Jones, the Agents simply show blandness and apathy for the human race, although Smith had an obsession with destroying Neo and a general hatred of humans, especially their smell, and Jones implied at one point, uttering "Only human," in a disgusted tone of voice, that he too has a strong dislike of humanity, though his contempt for them is not as strong as Smith's.

Other Agents have names like Brown, Johnson, and Thompson; common, innocuous, Anglo-Saxon names.^[2]

QuotesEdit

"Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet; you are a plague, and we - are the cure."

―Agent Smith ^[src]

"He is still...only Human."

―the Upgraded Agents ^[src]

"Only Human."

―Agent Jones ^[src]

"Tell me Mr. Anderson... what good is a phone call... if you're unable to speak?"

―Agent Smith ^[src]

See alsoEdit

• Possession

Notes and ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ The Matrix
2. ↑ It was mentioned in the Philosopher Commentary on the DVD collection that the names of Smith, Brown and Johnson may be endemic to the system itself, demonstrating a very 'robotic' mindset on the part of the Machines.

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